What's the situation for US citizens living in the UK, can they still apply for Global Entry? And if so, do they skip the need for the UK background check, or if not then when process do they need to follow to get it done?

3 Answers
3

You could also apply for NEXUS, which provides the same Global Entry benefits when entering the US as well as equivalent benefits when entering Canada. At $50 for 5 years it is half the price of Global Entry alone, though the cost is that the in-person interview can only be done at the subset of Global Entry locations where CBSA officers are also present (mostly at land border crossings and Canadian airports with US pre-clearance).

The reason this is relevant to your question is that, while NEXUS used to have a residence requirement for members, it is now explicitly open to Canadians and Americans no matter where they live as indicated by the CBSA web site:

To be eligible for the NEXUS, you must be a citizen or permanent
resident of Canada or the United States.

Effective June 30, 2012, Canadian and American citizens living outside
of Canada or the United States or who have recently returned to either
country and have not previously been able to meet the three-year
residency requirement are now eligible to apply.

Note that NEXUS used to be a program separate from Global Entry (NEXUS members couldn't use the Global Entry kiosks at US airports) but got turned into GE+Canada when the US opened GE to foreigners. I believe the change to eliminate the residence requirement was done to make it match what GE allowed for Americans already; it is certainly clear that the US would not allow Canadians living in random countries to use GE machines when entering the US if they denied Americans the same privilege.

So if you are a US citizen you can apply for Global Entry where ever you reside without a prior requirement for a background check from that country. I had an American co-worker living in Hong Kong who joined Global Entry while there, so I'm sure even residence in a place with privacy laws that likely preclude such checks from abroad doesn't disqualify an American. While it could be that there are certain countries of residence which would cause them to decline a GE application from a US citizen, it is pretty certain that the UK won't be one of them.

Global entry membership eligibility is based primarily on citizenship. Permanent residents of the US are eligible for the program regardless of their citizenship, but US citizens (and others who qualify based on their citizenship) are not rendered ineligible by virtue of taking up residence in some other country.

U.S. citizens, U.S. lawful permanent residents and citizens of a few other countries are eligible for Global Entry membership. Global Entry is also available to:

Citizens of Germany

Citizens of the Netherlands

Citizens of Panama

Citizens of South Korea

Mexican nationals

[...]

You may not be eligible for participation in the Global Entry program if you:

Provide false or incomplete information on the application;

Have been convicted of any criminal offense or have pending criminal charges or outstanding warrants (to include driving under the influence);

Have been found in violation of any customs, immigration or agriculture regulations or laws in any country;

Are the subject of an ongoing investigation by any federal, state or local law enforcement agency;

Are inadmissible to the United States under immigration regulation, including applicants with approved waivers of inadmissibility or parole documentation; or

It is not clear why anyone would think a US citizen resident in the UK would need a UK background check to apply. That is a requirement for British citizens, and a US citizen resident in the UK is not a British citizen. (Even if that person is a dual national, he is not a British citizen in the eyes of the US government.)

I think one of the the question is whether a US citizen living abroad would be able to get themselves background checked successfully, as they might not have enough information in the US database for a complete background check
– SztupY♦Dec 4 '15 at 19:57

@SztupY that is an interesting question, but only secondary here. I suppose there are two possibilities: either the US authorities do the best they can in the way of a background check (and perhaps there is a risk that they would be less likely to conclude that the subject is a low risk), or foreign-resident US citizens are excluded from the program and the website has neglected to mention that. It wouldn't be the first time for a government web site or program to overlook certain categories of people that nobody thought about at first. Unfortunately, it seems that finding out costs $100.
– phoogDec 4 '15 at 21:55